1. Field
The present disclosure generally relates to interactive graphical user interface for vehicle infotainment systems. More specifically, embodiments in the present disclosure relate to user interface for reflecting user interaction in a three-dimensional environment into graphical interface particularly pointing to a certain region in a screen of a vehicle infotainment system while a user is driving a vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the vehicle, drivers tend to feel gesture user interface (UI) is cumbersome in order to control a vehicle infotainment system while driving. While it is possible to keep a smartphone in a stable condition with regard to an object such as a hand of the user which results in stability of gesture control and operation, users often find difficult to control gesture motions in a vehicle in order to control functions of the vehicle infotainment system by gesture interaction with regards to a screen of the vehicle infotainment system, because it is difficult to keep gesture interaction as a fixed motion with regards to the screen due to instability and vibration in the vehicle. Additionally, the users, especially the drivers, need to focus most of their driving time on a road rather than the screen and time to focus and to aim target objects in the screen is substantially limited which results in adding inaccuracy in gesture operation.
In past, several attempts of gesture control methods have been explored and proposed. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 8,230,367 suggests that it is possible to provide function control with gesture by allowing a user to choose from different levels of selection corresponding with a distance between an object of a user (e.g. a hand of a user) and a body of the user. However, this method requires one or more sensors to measure a distance between the object and the body, which means that two points need to be measured. In such unstable mobile environment like in a vehicle, measurements of two points tend to result in inaccuracy because of measurement errors at two points. Further, relying on the distance of the object and the body does not provide the driving user to point a particular object on a screen of a vehicle infotainment system.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide user interface which improves assisting accurate control of functions of a vehicle infotainment system within limited time for minimizing distraction while driving. In particular, more accurate pointing method which allows a driver to narrow down a region the driver wishes to point from the entire screen is needed while a vehicle is in action and the driver has limited time to focus on the screen.